On the Rocks
by Genevieve Kelly
Summary: This story takes the place of the second episode in the fifth season, titled Cloudy With a Chance of Murder. Esposito has still not forgiven Ryan for what he sees was a betrayal and his anger toward his partner only continues to deepen until his anger eventually causes a tragedy among the team. This story is my take on how the rift between the partners should have been repaired.
1. Chapter 1

On the Rocks

Chapter One

Javier sat down in a hard, orange chair inside the waiting room at the hospital, waiting fearfully and impatiently for the doctors to come out from the emergency with any news. As he did so, painful flashes of the incident kept forcing their way into his mind like a movie that wouldn't shut off. What happened only hours ago, never should have happened and it wouldn't have if he hadn't have been too bullheaded to see that he had been wrong all along. Guilt plagued him and it was no less than what he deserved.

Twenty-four hours ago…

Richard Castle woke up early to find Beckett still asleep within his arms, just as she had been every morning over the last week, since they had first gotten together after the lead detective had almost died. Kate had explained to Castle that within her last few moments before she thought she was going to die, all of her thoughts were of him. This admittance lead to them finally getting together after all the time the two lovers kept denying their feelings for one another.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Richard spoke softly as he gently ran his fingers through her deep red hair in order to wake her. "It's just after six o'clock. It's time to wake up."

"Is it really morning already?" she asked groggily as she stretched out underneath the sheets covering his bed. "Where do the nights go?"

Castle slowly rose, as did Beckett, then he answered, "If you want, I can roll down the shades so we can pretend that it's still night and not go into work today."

Kate responded, "As wonderful as that sounds, I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm on thin ice still. Espo and I were lucky that the chief let us come back so soon. You can stay home though, if you want."

"And possibly miss another wild and crazy case?" he asked humorously. "I don't think so. Besides, working with you and the boys beats a boring day here at home any day."

"With the way things are between Javi and Kevin right now, I'm not so sure," Beckett replied.

Richard finally got off the bed and began to dress as he said, "Those two are like brothers. They'll work through their pride soon enough, you'll see."

She nodded and then spoke again saying, "If it wasn't for Ryan making the decision to tell the chief what we were up to, I would be dead right now. He made the right call and Esposito and I both deserved to get suspended."

"I agree," Castle answered as she started getting dressed as well. "I'll go make us something for breakfast. What are you in the mood for this morning? French toast? Pancakes? A blueberry muffin?"

"If we don't start moving any faster, then all we'll have time for is coffee," Kate responded quickly before disappearing into the bathroom, just as her phone began to ring."Can you answer that?"

Castle picked up the phone and was about to answer it until he suddenly stopped, then called out, "I can't answer your phone. How would I explain to the others and the chief why I had it at six-thirty in the morning? Our secret would be out in seconds."

Kate stuck her head out from the bathroom as she replied, "You're right. It's a good thing you remembered that before you answered. As soon as I'm done in here, I'll call them back. No doubt their call is to inform us of a case that's come up."

A little over an hour later, Beckett walked into the station and a few minutes later, Castle arrived separately so that their friends wouldn't suspect anything going on between them. Little did the couple realize that detectives Ryan and Esposito suspected the two have been together for some time.

"Espo, what have you got and why are we meeting here instead of at the crime scene?" Kate asked as she walked over to stand between the former soldier and his partner, who was barely making eye contact with anyone.

"It's because here is where our crime scene is," Esposito answered as he glared over at his partner, then turned back to face Beckett and Castle. "Tony in evidence was killed late last night and no one found him until this morning when one of us arrived and went down to log in evidence."

Ryan finally spoke up as he continued, "We went to look over the surveillance footage down there, but whoever did this was smart. They knew how to break in, get whatever they wanted, then get out while being completely invisible."

Castle smiled as he once again thought up a crazy theory and responded, "It looks like we're dealing with the invisible man, or possibly the invisible woman, who may have more than one of the powers given to the Fantastic Four."

"That's one of the most ridiculous theories you've come up with yet, bro," Esposito replied skeptically as the team headed down toward evidence to get a look at the crime scene. "And that's saying something because you've had some doozies."

"Javi's right, Castle," Kate agreed. "There's always a logical explanation as to how our victim's are killed."

When they arrived at the crime scene, they found Chief Gates already inside, then walked over to them as soon as they arrived as she said angrily, "This is outrageous. It is one thing for one of our own to become victims out there while on duty, but to have one of our own killed within our own home is unspeakable. I want this solved, yesterday. Do I make myself clear?"

Castle and the three detectives all nodded as Beckett answered, "We will, Sir."

With that said, the chief left the room, leaving the team to do their jobs. They looked over the crime scene thoroughly and though the autopsy had yet to be done, the coroner was able to tell for certain that their fellow detective had been killed by a bullet wound to the chest. Due to the size of the wound, the attack had been up close.

Beckett spoke up again saying, "I'm guessing our invisible man, wasn't so invisible after all. Tony must have seen him or her and perhaps was not even aware that he was in danger. Our killer may be one of us."


	2. Chapter 2

On the Rocks

Chapter Two

"So in order for one of us to enter into the evidence locker, we have to swipe our keycard, which shows in our database who goes in and out, as well as the time," Ryan said as he sat at his desk, looking at his computer screen. "According to the computer, it was Lanie who came in last night around the time of death."

"Lanie wasn't anywhere near our precinct last night," Esposito responded quickly in her defense. "She was with… Well, she wasn't here. We all know this is ridiculous."

Beckett answered, "Of course."

Castle continued, "It's obvious that someone had to have swiped her keycard sometime after she left work last night and used it so that they wouldn't be detected."

"Right, we should go talk to her to see if she might possibly know who could have taken it, in case she met up with someone after work, or maybe even just talked to someone here as she was leaving," Kate replied as she started to head toward autopsy, followed by Castle, then stopped. "Ryan and Espo, continue to run down any possible enemies that Tony might have had. See if any of them may have made any threats against him."

"Why would anyone hate Tony?" Esposito asked. "He was a loner. It's most likely that our killer killed him because he or she wanted to steal something tucked away in evidence."

Beckett shrugged, then responded, "That's also a good theory. Both of you work on seeing if anything was taken as well."

Esposito looked over at his partner as he glared at him and then answered, "I think I can handle it alone."

"He's never going to forgive me," Ryan said sadly and then walked away.

"I'm afraid if he's right, I'm eventually going to have to assign them both to other partners," Kate replied worryingly.

Down in autopsy…

As Beckett and Castle listened, Lanie spoke saying, "As far as I know, I was the last person to leave here last night and I never ran into anybody. After work, I went out to dinner with… actually, who I went out to dinner doesn't really matter, but I never met up with or came into contact with anyone who could do this. I don't know how your killer managed to get his hands on my keycard, but I did have it on me this morning when I came in to work. I'm not sure if I should be worried by that."

Kate shook her head as she responded, "I wouldn't worry. Our killer was either after Tony or something logged into evidence. Ryan and Esposito are looking into both theories right now. Thanks, Lanie."

After finishing their talk with Lanie, Castle followed Beckett to Captain Gates' office so that they could explain to her what little information they had so far on the case. She had warned them that had better update as soon as anything became relevant. The captain was irritable and so the meeting wasn't a pleasant one, as they expected. Afterward, they walked back into the main room and took a seat at Kate's desk.

"I really doubt that our killer specifically targeted Tony," Rick spoke up casually. "If he was the target, then surely our killer would have killed him while not at work. It would have been much easier. Why go through all this trouble?"

"I agree with you, but it's our job to go through every possible scenario until we find the right one," Kate answered. "I know that whoever did this, removed whatever he or she was searching for in evidence, which is why I was hoping that Espo and Ryan would work together, but…"

Castle finished for her, "It would make things easier."

It was then that Javier walked up to them as he asked, "What would make things easier?"

"Nothing," she replied quickly. "Did you already find something?"

"Yeah, actually I did," the former Marine responded as he pulled out something from his shirt pocket and placed it down on their team leader's desk in front of them. "The search wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I found this empty evidence bag inside a newly unsealed box, belonging to a pretty old case. It's the bullet we finally found after days of searching that killed Drew Benson in that robbery. It was the damning piece of evidence that allowed us to arrest his killer, Greg Davenport. Now that it's been taken, Davenport's lawyer will have no problem getting him out of prison on account of evidence tampering."

Castle spoke again as he said, "Greg Davenport isn't just a thief, but a psychopath, who belongs in prison for the rest of his life. We weren't able to prove it, but he's suspected of killing a number of people and now he's going to get off scot free? This is terrible. He'll only kill again."

Beckett crossed her arms as she thought for a moment and answered, "Then, we'll need to keep an eye on him somehow, even if it isn't strictly legal. You know, to try to make sure he can't harm anyone again."

"And what about our current killer?" Javier asked. "We now know why he broke into our evidence locker and killed Tony, but we don't yet know who he or she is."

"Then, before Davenport is set to be released, we'll have to go talk with him and his lawyer," Kate replied as she stood with along with Castle. "Maybe try to rattle his cages a little. He's too slick to admit anything, but maybe we'll get lucky and he or his lawyer will let something slip. Either Davenport hired someone to steal the evidence, or someone did it for him in order to help set him free. Either way, he'll know something. Javi go find Ryan and explain to him what we've discovered, then talk with Gates. Castle and I will head to the prison as soon as we make the proper calls to Davenport's lawyer and the prison warden to let him know we'll be coming. Good work, Espo. At least now we've got a starting point."


	3. Chapter 3

On the Rocks

Chapter Three

When Beckett and Castle arrived at the prison, the warden welcomed them and led them down through the holding cells in order to get to the interrogation rooms, where they were to meet with Greg Davenport and his lawyer. However, the only person sitting in the room was Davenport, who only smiled when the detective and writer walked inside the room.

Beckett took a seat across from the criminal, followed by Castle, and then spoke first saying, "From the look on your face, I'd say that you already know why we're here."

The man replied smugly, "I'm not sure what you're talking about. It's good to see you again, Detective Beckett. And you too, Mr. Castle. The last time we were together, it wasn't exactly a pleasant meeting. I mean, I ended up here, didn't I?"

"Because you killed a man in a robbery, which turned out to be your downfall," Castle responded. "You're not as smart as you thought."

"You're right," Greg answered. "I did. So, why are you two here this time? Are you going to try to pin another murder on me? It's not like I can just slip in and out of here, anytime I'd like."

Kate continued to stare at him so as to see if she could read any kind of tell, then replied, "We've come because there has been another murder, one that you obviously didn't commit yourself, but we have reason to believe that someone you know did this. However, before we move forward, where is your lawyer? He should be here with you."

Davenport replied, "He isn't coming. I'm kind of in between lawyers right now. So, please continue."

"Our victim was one of our own, who was killed because he had been assigned to work in our precinct's evidence locker the night that a thief broke in and stole something that will make it so that you'll soon be released from here," Kate responded curtly. "Your next lawyer will be arriving eventually to confirm that to you, so we want to know something. Who did you hire to steal that damning evidence against you? Or did someone just…"

"What is it?" Castle asked when a text suddenly came over Beckett's phone that seemed to startle her, which was the reason for her cutting off in mid sentence. "Did something happen?"

She looked over at him with fear evident in her eyes, motioned for him to get up and follow her out, then once they were alone she finally answered, "Esposito just sent me a text. We need to get to the hospital."

Castle only spoke one word saying, "Ryan."

Meanwhile…

Javier had gone to speak with the chief again just as Beckett had said for him to do, then walked back over to his desk, and was about to take a seat until a thought came to him, as he remembered that Davenport had once been good friends with a man by the name of Kyle Harvick, who never ended up in prison, though he was also suspected of helping Greg commit some of the crimes he was never caught on as well. He quickly sent a text message to Beckett in order to let her know that he decided to go talk with Harvick, then turned to look over at his partner, whom he was about to call out to, until he decided against it and took off alone.

A short time later, Esposito arrived at the office where he knew that Harvick worked, but just as he started to head inside, he stopped when he saw Kyle walking out of the building, then signal for a taxi. However, before he got into the cab that pulled over for him, he locked eyes on Javier, then suddenly took off running in the opposite direction, which began a foot race through the crowds of people, across streets causing cars to swerve and honk their horns wildly, and finally down an alley where Harvick seemed to have disappeared. The former Marine cautiously walked deeper into the alley with his gun out and prepared for an attack, then finally came to a door and was about to open it until he heard Ryan call out his name as he swiftly walked toward him, also with his gun raised as well.

When his partner caught up to him, Javier glared at him as he asked curtly, "How the hell did you find me?"

Ryan ignored the anger in his tone as he replied, "I followed you. How do you think I found you? I saw you leave the precinct and knew that you were up to something. I just wasn't sure what, until I followed you down this street where Kyle Harvick works at this law firm as an accountant. I saw you both take off running, then turn down into this alley."

Javier just ignored him, then turned again in order to walk inside the office building, which appeared to be dark and empty. It wasn't long before they discovered that the reason why it was so dark and empty was because the building was now condemned after there had been a number of arrests made here as the police had discovered a number of the employees working at this company were embezzling funds and the company was closed down for good. The building was a perfect hiding place.

"Why did you even come here?" Esposito asked gruffly after several minutes of silence as they continued searching for their suspect. "I didn't invite you to come along because I don't want you here."

"Because you don't trust me?" Ryan responded as quietly as he could, but loud enough for his partner to hear him. "No matter what you may think of me, I didn't betray you, as you call it, to hurt you. I did it because it was the right call and I hope one day you'll see that. And I'm here because I'm your partner. I will always have your back, Javi."

Javier stopped short as he turned around to face Ryan and was about to say something out of anger, when all of a sudden Kevin's eyes widened as he saw Harvick walk out from his hiding place while aiming his own weapon straight at his partner's back. Ryan cried out Javier's name as he suddenly shoved him aside and fired a off a shot at their attacker, in almost perfect sync with Harvick's own.

The moment appeared in slow motion to Esposito as he watched the scene lay out in front of him due to the force of the push out of the way, being completely helpless as the bullet that had been meant for him suddenly struck Kevin just between his neck and shoulder, causing him to collapse hard to the ground unconscious, while Ryan's bullet struck their attacker in his arm, causing him drop his gun, then he took off running away, as Javier rushed to his partner's side and struggled to stifle the blood flow as it came pouring out of the wound, while trying to dial 911 for help. At that moment, all the anger he had built up against Ryan vanished and was replaced by complete fear.

The only sounds that could be heard were from Esposito as he cried out, "Ryan? Kevin! Kevin!"


	4. Chapter 4

On the Rocks

Chapter Four

"Javi, what's going on?" Beckett asked worryingly as soon as she and Castle came rushing inside the hospital, where the former Marine had left a message for them to come, then saw his hands and clothes covered in blood. "Are you okay? Where's Ryan?"

"He's about to go into surge… surgery," Esposito answered as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "He was dead. He was dead until the paramedics managed to revive him. I can't… can't…"

Kate walked over to the former Marine and stood in front of him so that he could see her as she gently put one hand over his cheek, the other on his arm, then asked again, "Take it easy, Javi. It's going to be all right. Just stay calm and try to explain. What happened?"

Esposito finally allowed himself to calm down the best he could, then replied softly, "I remembered earlier that Davenport was friends with Kyle Harvick and thought that it might be a good idea to have a chat with him, but I didn't let Kevin know before taking off. As soon as I arrived at the place where Kyle worked, he spotted me and took off running, so I followed after him. I didn't realize that Ryan had followed me from the precinct until I lost sight of the guy inside a condemned office building. Ryan and I started looking together, but I started arguing with him. Before I knew it, Kevin suddenly shoved me aside and fired his weapon, just as he took a bullet… in the shoulder… near his neck."

"You said he fired too," Castle spoke up as Kate pulled Esposito into her arms for a hug. "Did he hit the guy you were looking for, this Harvick?"

"I'm not really sure," Javier responded after he pulled away from their team leader. "I think so. I mean, once the paramedics arrived and took over for me, I walked over toward where Kevin fired and found the guy's gun on the ground, but I didn't notice any blood. However, I wasn't really looking all that closely. I was too worried about my partner."

Silence passed over the room until Esposito broke it again after a minute as he said, "This is my fault. If I hadn't have turned around to yell at him… if I hadn't have distracted him, that son of a bitch never would have gotten the drop on us. He never would have been able to sneak up on us and Kevin wouldn't be here, in that room, now fighting for his life. If I hadn't have been so bullheaded…"

Beckett finally stopped him as she interrupted, "You couldn't have known this would happen, Javi. Your anger aside, this is not your fault. Whether Kyle Harvick is our invisible man or not, he is now our number one priority and so help me God, we will find him."

"Oh God, Jenny," Castle spoke again as soon as Kevin's wife, as well as Lanie, came rushing toward them as soon as she saw them.

"Kevin?" she cried out as soon as she reached them. "Is he… is he all right? Please, tell me he's all right."

Beckett quickly wrapped her arms around the woman and pulled her close, then answered fearfully, "I'm afraid he's been shot, but he's still alive and I promise you, he's in very good hands here. Just try to stay calm. Kevin's going to be fine, you'll see. He's strong and right now, he needs all of us to be too."

Jenny broke down within Kate's arms as Lanie walked over and put her hand gently on her back in order to take over for Kate when she chose to let go, then Javier finally said, "I swear to you, Jenny, we're going to catch the bastard who did this. Your husband managed to get a shot off of his own, so it's only a matter of time before we find him and when we do, I'll finish it for him; no matter what it takes."

"You promised me you would always look after him," she replied coldly as she glared over at Esposito, while Beckett stood up and handed her over to Lanie. "You promised and you failed, all because you were too stubborn to let go of your stupid pride!"

"Jenny, it's not…" Kate tried to respond in his defense.

However, Esposito cut her off as he interrupted, "No, she's right. I did fail him. You have every right to be angry, Jenny, but Kevin's going to survive this, and when he does, I swear to you, I will make this right."

Lanie led her over into the waiting room, while Castle and Beckett walked over to stand with Esposito, then Castle spoke up again saying, "It's good that you believe Kevin will be all right."

"I was only saying that to try to make her feel better," the former Marine answered, no longer with the same confidence he had moments ago. "I wish I can believe it, but it's really hard to when you've been forced to watch paramedics shoot a couple hundred volts of electricity into your partner's chest over and over. Kevin's the closest thing I've got to a brother and there's a good chance he'll die believing that I hate him. You wanted to know if I'm okay, Beckett? The answer's no. I'm not."

"Poor Esposito," the writer replied grimly. "I don't blame him for feeling that way."

After Esposito stepped away a few feet, not wanting to walk into the waiting room where Jenny and Lanie were sitting, Kate looked over at the man she loved and responded sadly, "I'm afraid that if he's right, then we'll not only have lost Kevin, but we'll lose Javi too. There's no way he'll remain a detective if he loses faith in himself."

It was then that one of the doctors walked out from the operating room, causing everyone there for Kevin to gather together again, as Kate asked, "How is he, doctor? Detective Ryan, is he going to be all right?"

"He's still holding on, but I'm afraid that I have no real information for you just yet," the man answered. "I only came out here to reassure you that we're doing everything we can. The wound is bad and the damage severe, but…"

"How long will it be before you can tell us anything?" Castle asked again.

The man in a white lab coat and green scrubs underneath looked between them and then replied, "It's going to be several hours yet before we'll know anything. I'm sorry, I wish I had better news for you. I suggest you all either go home and try to get some rest, or at the very least, have a seat in the waiting room and try to relax. We'll be out as soon as we can once we know anything."

Lanie finally spoke up after the doctor walked away as she responded, "Doctors always suggest rest and relaxation to the loved ones waiting for news on the patient, but they don't realize just how idiotic those suggestions really are."


	5. Chapter 5

On the Rocks

Chapter Five

Meanwhile…

A knock came at the door of a small time medical clinic, waking the young doctor living there and his family, then when the knocks only continued to grow louder, the young man finally walked out from his room and opened the door, finding a man standing there holding his hand over a wound in his arm.

"I'm afraid I'm closed for the night," the doctor said nervously, as he quickly saw that the dark man standing before him was dangerous. "If you need medical treatment, the hospital's only a mile away."

"That won't work for me," the stranger responded coldly as he pulled out gun from behind his back and aimed it directly at the doctor's head. "You're going to stitch me up and give me drugs for the pain, then I'm going to leave here, and you and your family will be just fine. Do you understand?"

The doctor looked back at his wife and children, then once again at the stranger, and replied, "Fine. Come in, quickly."

The wounded man answered, "Thank you very much. Don't try anything, or I will kill you."

"So, what happened to you tonight?" the doctor asked calmly after getting into stitching his wound. "How were you shot?"

"I suggest you don't ask me any questions except for perhaps if I'm allergic to any kind of medications," the man responded smugly. "Ask me again what happened, then I will be forced to kill you."

The doctor nodded, then replied, "My name is Caleb; Doctor Caleb Winters. I thought you might be more comfortable I you knew who it is working on you."

The stranger pulled out a bottle of scotch from his coat's inside pocket, then continued, "It doesn't, but thanks just the same. You can call me John Doe."

"I see," Caleb answered. "Are you allergic to anything, John? If you want something strong for the pain, you're going to have to allow me to write you a prescription. Otherwise, all I've got on me is basically nothing much stronger than just aspirin, which is not a good idea to take with that alcohol you're drinking."

"Listen, what I do once I leave here tonight, is not any of your concern," Doe responded angrily. "I can take care of myself. Now, finish what you're doing and then hand over whatever you've got. Do you understand?"

Caleb shook his head and then replied, "If you say so. You're lucky. The bullet you were shot with went straight through your arm without hitting anything vital. If you allow your arm to rest and keep it clean and bandaged tightly, then it will heal in no time. I would suggest that you wear a sling to keep it from getting too strained, but I doubt you'd listen to me."

Once the doctor finally finished, John stood up, tucked his gun back into the back of his pants, and then said, "Thank you very much, Doctor Winters. I'll take your suggestions under advisement. Now let me suggest something to you. Forget about me. If the police make their way here to question you, tell them you never saw me."

"What can I possibly tell them?" the doctor answered. "You haven't told me anything. It's the middle of the night. I'm half asleep and so I wouldn't even be able give them a proper description."

"Goodnight doctor," John spoke again, then finally left the clinic, without so much as a thanks and leaving the doctor and his family behind bewildered.

Back at the hospital…

It was after six o'clock in the morning by the time the doctor in charge of operating on Detective Ryan came walking out to speak with his partner and the rest of the friends and family waiting there for news on his condition. Most of them were resting uncomfortably, while Esposito paced back and forth in nervousness, in between sitting down until he couldn't any longer.

The group surrounded the doctor covered in Kevin's blood, having been the lead operator, spoke up first saying, "Your friend is still somehow alive, though he certainly didn't make it easy for us."

Castle cut in as he said, "It's probably because he's got the luck of the Irish on his side."

"Call it luck or call it strength, I have no idea, but for now, he's somewhat stable," the doctor responded. "However, this doesn't mean that he's out of the woods just yet. Anything could happen and his luck could go the other way at any given time. He's still in critical condition and we'd like to keep him this way for at least the next seventy-two hours. He'll remain on life support until his vitals improve."

"And how about the damage?" Javier asked. "If he does make it, will he be able to function normally. Will he be able to remain a cop?"

The doctor looked between them as he replied, "The bullet nicked his clavicle, though most of the damage is in the muscle tissue. If he does come out of this, he'll struggle for some time trying to regain all control again, but if he heals properly, then yes, I believe he'll be back to himself eventually."

Jenny stepped forward and reached out to shake the doctor's hand as she answered, "Thank you, doctor. Thank you for doing everything you can for my husband."

The doctor nodded, then walked away, as Captain Gates walked into the waiting room and said, "It's good news about Detective Ryan and I've come with more news that might help us. A short time ago, I received a call from an old friend, who runs a small medical clinic down in the slums here in the city. He has informed me that earlier tonight, he had treated a man with a gunshot wound to his arm. I had asked this doctor to always inform me of anyone who ever came to him with bullet holes or knife wounds and tonight, because I like to be informed on what goes on in my city, especially when these criminals go to clinics like this thinking they can get away with illegal activity such as shooting a cop."

"You think this guy is Harvick?" Beckett asked.

"He certainly fits Kyle Harvick's description and the guy did get shot last night," the captain responded. "It all fits. I want you detectives to go down to the clinic to speak with my friend and see if there's anything more he can give us that will help you track Harvick down. There may also be other witnesses. Find them and find the monster who shot one of our own."


	6. Chapter 6

On the Rocks

Chapter Six

As soon as Detectives Beckett and Esposito, as well as Castle, arrived at the clinic, the young doctor quickly welcomed them inside and closed the door behind them before anyone spoke up about the reason why they had come. The doctor appeared nervous, but it was understandable seeing as he and his family had just been threatened by a dangerous criminal at gunpoint.

Kate was the first to speak up as she said, "Thank you so much for making the call to us, Doctor Winters."

The young man answered, "Call me Caleb, please. Victoria does; excuse me, your captain does. I called because I owe her my life and I know how much she cares about protecting this city and of course her friends in the force. When I spoke with her, she told me that the guy I patched up tonight is suspected of being the guy who shot one of your own?"

"Yeah, that's right," Javier responded angrily as he pulled out his cell phone and showed Caleb a picture of Kyle Harvick. "He shot my partner. Is this the guy that was here earlier with a bullet wound?"

"That's him," Doctor Winters replied as he studied the picture. "He called himself John Doe. I knew he was dangerous as soon as he came in here. I'm sorry that I couldn't get a call out while he was here. He kept a close watch and I couldn't risk my family's lives."

Beckett nodded and answered, "We understand, of course. Is there anything you can tell us about him, anything that might give us a clue as to where he went?"

Caleb responded, "He wasn't much of a talker. Anytime I tried to get any kind of information, he shut me down quick."

"Where was he hit?" Esposito asked curtly. "How bad was the wound?"

"The bullet went into his right arm near his elbow and became lodged in the tissue," the young man replied. "The damage was pretty extensive. I tried to warn him that if he didn't get the proper treatment and medications, or at the very least, a sling to elevate his arm, the odds of him losing full function of his arm would increase greatly, but he wouldn't hear me out. All he took was basically aspirin and a bottle of scotch, which he pulled out of his jacket pocket, for the pain."

Javier answered coldly, "Good. Kevin got his own hit in."

Castle nodded as he responded, "Now it's our job to finish it for him. We've just got to find him."

"I'm sorry that there's nothing more I can do for you, but if there's anyone else that might have seen something more, it will be Ned Baker from the house next door," the doctor replied. "He's this neighborhood's busybody and I'll bet that he noticed your man walk in and out of here, despite the hour he was here. He may have caught sight of the car he drove, possibly even the plate number."

"Thank you so much, Doctor Winters; Caleb," Kate answered sincerely. "It's good to know that there are good people out there like yourself."

Caleb nodded as he responded, "It's my pleasure, Ma'am. Good luck in finding your guy."

After leaving the apartment, the detectives and writer walked out onto the sidewalk and as he turned toward the house that the doctor had mentioned, Castle noticed the curtain close as soon as he looked over, then he spoke up saying, "The doctor was right about his neighbor being a busybody. Maybe he did see something that can help us."

"Let's go," Esposito said under his breath.

"Hold up," Beckett replied as she suddenly grabbed onto the former marine's shoulder and turned him around to face her. "Listen, Javi; I know that you're angry and you're worried about Kevin, but I need you to try to calm down and not come across so cold, especially toward this guy we're about to see. I have a feeling that he isn't going to be too open willingly. You can't get angry if this next meeting doesn't go our way."

Javier shook his head and looked between Beckett and Castle, then answered, "You're right. I know it. I promise to try to not come across as the bad cop."

After knocking once on the neighbor's door, the man opened up to them and stood aside so that they could enter into his home, then he spoke up asking, "You all are detectives with the NYPD?"

"Actually, I'm a writer, but these two are," Castle responded as he pointed between his friends.

"Are you a journalist working with your next big story with help from the cops?" he asked again. "Because if you are, I have nothing to say to you; any of you."

Kate shook her head as she quickly replied, "No, no. He's a consultant for our department. He helps us to solve a lot of our cases. Mr. Baker, if there's anything that you saw last night that can help us find the man we're looking for, we'd be very grateful. I'm Detective Kate Beckett and these are Detective Esposito and Richard Castle."

The man looked between them and then finally answered, "I'm Ned Baker, which you already know thanks to that doctor you were just speaking to. I didn't see anything."

"Please, Mr. Baker," Javier responded calmly. "This is a matter of urgency. My partner was shot trying to catch one of our suspects. The man we're after was here last night getting patched up by the doctor, who was threatened to get him to do so, after taking a bullet himself. My partner saved my life and now I am asking you to please help us to find the man that's responsible for hurting him."

"I did see the guy last night as he entered and exited the doctor's apartment," Ned replied after taking a minute to decide whether or not he should talk to them. "I was curious. I don't know much, but I did see the car he took off in, including the license plate. It's KK4 L06."

Beckett reached out to shake the man's hand, as did Castle, while Esposito spoke again as he answered, "Thank you, for helping us."

Baker only turned toward the door and then replied, "Just leave and don't come back looking for anything else. I don't know anything else."

"Well, he was friendly," Castle said sarcastically as soon as they walked out of the man's house.

"Yeah, well at least he gave us information that will help us find Harvick," Kate stated as she and the others walked back toward their squad car. "Let's just hope that he isn't clever enough to have ditched the car after leaving here, but at least we've got a start.


	7. Chapter 7

On the Rocks

Chapter Seven

"I should have known that this was way too easy," Esposito said in frustration after finding the car they had put a bolo out on as soon as they had gotten the plate number from the doctor's neighbor abandoned. "Why can't we have just a little bit of luck on our side? Is that too much to ask for?"

"Apparently the universe seems to think so," Castle responded. "It looks like Harvick cleaned it down pretty good to cover his tracks. Is there any chance the lab techs will be able to recover anything that can help us figure out where the guy's gone next?"

While looking inside the vehicle, Kate answered, "Not very likely. We should head back to the station, at the very least, in order to get out of this cold. Spring isn't coming fast enough."

Esposito shook his head as he placed his fingers over the bridge of his nose and then replied softly, "I think I'm going to head over to the hospital to check on Kevin. Give me a call if anything comes up."

"Something has got to give," Beckett spoke up again after he took off. "Ryan may have only been shot yesterday, but this case so far feels like it's been going on for months."

"I know what you mean," he responded as he and Beckett watched the former Marine walk down the street until he disappeared from view. "You ready?"

Kate looked over at the writer as she answered, "Yeah, let's get out of here; before it gets any colder."

Forty-Five minutes later…

Javier slowly walked into the room inside the ICU where the doctors had moved his partner and as he did so, he found Kevin's wife sitting down in the chair at his bedside leaning forward, her hands gently resting over his own that wasn't wrapped in a sling, and her head down.

When he could hear her crying softly, Esposito turned and started to leave until she suddenly stopped him as she said, "You don't have to leave, Javi. You care about him as much as I do."

"I can come back later," the detective replied as he continued to stand in the doorway. "I understand if you'd like to be left alone."

"No, actually, I need a break," she responded as she carefully let go of her husband's hand in order to avoid pulling on the tubes that ran from his wrists to administer the fluids he needed. "I'm going to go home for awhile to get some sleep. Please, take all the time you need. I'm sorry, Javier. Those things that I said earlier, I didn't mean them. I was just so…"

Esposito shook his head, then finally turned back around to look at her, and answered, "Just as I said last night, you have every right to be angry. Don't apologize. I screwed up and allowed my pride to stand in the way of me seeing that Kevin was right to do what he did. If he hadn't, Beckett would now be dead. We didn't accomplish anything by trying to go off on our own. And now… now this has happened and there's a chance that I may not be able to apologize to him. I failed my best friend and there's nothing I can do, but wait and it's killing me."

Jenny moved to stand in front of him, leaned up to kiss him on his cheek, and then replied softly, "You said it yourself. Kevin is going to survive this and when he does, you'll have the rest of your lives to make it up to him. For now, sit with him and reassure him that you're finally here for him. Then, go out there and find the bastard that did this to him."

"Thank you, Jenny," the former Marine responded and then kissed her cheek as well. "Go get some sleep. If anything changes, I'll let you know right away, I promise."

"I know you will," she answered, then turned around, and left the room.

Afterward, Esposito walked over to sit down in the same chair Jenny once sat in, then stared down at the frail form of his partner, who continued to remain unconscious while hooked up to a number machines and bags of medications to help him heal, as well as a tube that ran along his face from underneath his nose in order to help him breathe, as the wound near his neck had severely threatened the ability. Like Jenny had earlier, Javier also reached out and took his hand within his own and softly began to talk as if Kevin were sitting beside him at their desks.

He said, "So, I want you to know that we're doing everything we can to track down the SOB that did this to you. We still don't know yet if he's the guy that killed Tony too, but at least when we catch him, he won't be free ever again. We will catch him, so all you need to focus on right now is getting better because I need you to continue to be my pain in the ass partner. There's no way in hell I'm willing to break in a new one. I'd quit first. I messed up real big this time, Kev. You've always been here for me and when you needed me… I didn't mean those terrible things I said to you. I may have thought so at the time, but none of it was true. You shouldn't have taken that bullet for me, but I will be forever grateful. Please, stay with us, Kevin."

Meanwhile…

Back at the precinct, Beckett, Castle, and the captain were all gathered around the detectives' desks discussing what little they had to go on in search of their number one suspect, which was when they were interrupted by a phone call that they were all expecting at any time and dreading.

On the other end of the line, was Davenport who spoke up first saying, "Hello again, Detective Beckett. I heard about what happened last night to Detective Ryan. I offer you my condolences."

"If you heard about what happened, then you'll know that your condolences aren't needed," Kate replied angrily as she placed the call on speaker. "He's going to be fine. I take it that this isn't the only reason why you're calling."

"You're right," the criminal answered smugly. "I wanted to let you know that it won't be long now before I'm to be released. Even my lawyer has finally been permitted to get me a phone. I want to thank you for your help and look forward to seeing you all again. We'll be in touch."

As soon as the line cut off, Castle quickly said, "That sounded like a threat, but to who? To you?"

Captain Gates crossed her arms as she replied, "The threat was meant for all of us. I firmly believe that Greg Davenport is definitely the one that put this whole mess in motion. We just need to find a way to prove it so we can send him right back to prison once he's released. We will find everyone that's responsible and send them all there where they belong."


	8. Chapter 8

On the Rocks

Chapter Eight

Two nights later, a knock sounded at the door of a mansion like home somewhere deep within the city. After three knocks, a woman finally opened it and after doing so, she called out coldly, "Reggie, your old friend Kyle is here. I'm going out for the night; make sure he isn't here when I get back. Do you hear me?"

The woman's husband walked out and replied, "Don't worry, hon. It's just going to be a short meeting and then he'll be long gone. Go have a good night with your sister."

"What exactly are you doing here, Kyle?" the man asked as soon as his wife left the house. "It's late and I thought I told you I wanted no actual contact between us."

"Yeah, well things have changed, seeing as I am the one out there risking my life to free your brother, while you're living like a king here in this mansion," Harvick responded angrily. "I killed a cop to get rid of the evidence they had on him and seriously injured another in order to get away, making it so that I am now criminal number one."

Reginald Norrington, once known as Geoff Davenport, noticed the bandage over the man's arm and motioned for his guest to have a seat, then said, "It doesn't look like you got away from them without taking a hit of your own. Have you gotten proper medical treatment at all?"

Kyle sat down on the couch inside one of the house's many rooms as he answered, "I'm good, thanks. I know who you really are Geoff. If you don't want me to make an anonymous tip to the police hotline about who's really behind all this, then you're going to provide me with sanctuary from the police right here for a few days and finally give me enough money to get out of this infernal country and set me up for life. I'd say you've got a hell of a lot more to lose than I do. What do you have to say?"

"I'm afraid that isn't going to work for us, Kyle," another voice spoke up from behind him, startling Harvick and then even more so as soon as the man who matched the voice came walking into the room with a gun raised in his hands.

"Greg, you're already out?" Harvick stated in surprise as he stood, then began to back away from the two men slowly. "And you're here?"

Davenport nodded and replied, "That's right. Geoff is my brother after all and the man who hired you to get me out of prison. And you're trying to blackmail him into helping you. I warned you once that if you tried to do it again, like you did to me, then our friendship was over. It's over, Kyle."

Without another word, Greg swiftly fired a round into Harvick's chest, then stared at his now dead body until his brother spoke up once gain saying, "I'm glad you finally took care of him, but did you really have to shoot him in here, inside my home?"

"Don't worry about it," Greg responded. "I'll take care of it. Your wife will never know and neither will the police. You got me out of prison. You're here for me again when I needed you the most, just as you always have been."

"I'm glad you still believe that," Geoff answered as he walked over to a mini bar in the corner of the room and began to make drinks for himself and his brother. "After I changed my name and my identity in order to get away from all the bustle from the police and the media after you made your first kill, I was afraid that you would think that I betrayed you. When I heard that you had finally gotten caught, I knew that I had to do something to help you. I'm sorry I took so long to come around."

The criminal took the drink his brother offered him, then smiled as he replied, "I never doubted you. Once I get rid of this body, you and I can take the time to finally catch up. With Harvick dead, the police will no longer have a lead on who's responsible for setting me free."

Geoff took a drink and then responded, "Sounds good, but you won't have to take care of this mess on your own. I'm ready to learn from you. I can't deny what I am any longer. Will you show me what it takes?"

"If you want to become a killer, then first we need to find ourselves a target," Greg answered. "Is there someone you have in mind?"

"There's one more lose end to tie up," the older brother replied as he walked over to a safe hidden behind a painting on the wall, then pulled out some papers, and handed them over to Greg. "I had to get your friend inside the police's evidence locker. So, I used my money and influence to dig up dirt on the detectives inside that precinct. I found one to blackmail into getting helping Harvick inside. The woman doesn't know who I am, but she is a detective. If she were to dig hard enough, I'm sure that she'll find me out eventually and if she were to talk…"

Greg interrupted, "Don't worry, we'll take care of her too. Cops are a lot easier to blackmail and take down than what people realize. However, there are a few that will continue to be trouble for us and no kind of blackmail will work to get them to back off."

Geoff nodded and then asked, "So, what do you suggest? Do we kill them too? Continuing to kill cops will only cause us to end up in body bags and on slabs down in their morgue."

"I told you to stop worrying," Greg responded confidently. "I know exactly what I'm doing. I got cocky before, which is why I was caught, but this time, I won't make that mistake. I have a plan to deal with them and it's thanks to Kyle here. He gave me something I can work with and the detectives won't see it coming."


	9. Chapter 9

On the Rocks

Chapter Nine

Early the next morning, Javier awoke to the sound of his cell phone buzzing on top of his dresser beside his bed. Upon seeing that it was still dark outside and the fact that he has been going on very little sleep ever since his partner had taken a bullet for him, Esposito thought about just ignoring it, but decided against it because he was a cop.

"Esposito," he stated sleepily without looking at the caller id.

"_Javi, it's Jenny,_" Ryan's wife cried. "_He's awake. Kevin's awake!_"

That was all he needed to become fully awake as he quickly replied, "I'm on my way."

By the time Javier arrived at the hospital once again, he found that Beckett and Castle were already in the room with Jenny and his partner, who was still wearing the medical tube beneath his nose as he continued to lie back firmly against the pillows. Kevin was clearly exhausted and struggling to move and speak, but the important thing was the he was awake, which meant that he was going to be all right; that the former Marine would be able to make things right between them.

As soon as Esposito walked into the room and stood beside Castle, Kevin turned his head the best that he could and locked eyes with his partner, who finally spoke up saying, "I knew that you wouldn't give that scumbag, Harvick, the satisfaction of killing a New York detective. How are you feeling?"

"I'm not… not really sure," Kevin answered weakly and then looked away despondently. "I'm tired… and… soar."

"At least you're awake, which means you're going to be fine," Castle replied quickly to try to ease the sudden tension. "Thanks goodness too because I believe you owe me a couple hundred bucks from our poker game the other night."

Kevin turned to look at the writer and responded in confusion, "I don't remember… poker?"

Rick smiled as he said, "Gotcha. You're right, we never did play poker and you don't owe me any money. I just thought I'd… that I'd… never mind."

"I appre…ciate you trying to… lighten the mood, Castle," Ryan answered sincerely. "And Harvick? Did you…?"

"No, not yet, but we're going to find him," Kate replied confidently. "He's going to pay for hurting you like this."

It was then that Lanie walked into the room and spoke up saying, "Actually, it looks like your boy Harvick already has paid. It's so good to see that you're going to be all right, Kevin. How are you feeling?"

The Irish detective only smiled slightly as he was beginning to fade again, then Beckett looked over at Lanie as she asked, "What do you mean Kyle Harvick's already paid, Lanie? Is he… he's not dead, is he?"

"His body just came in before I came here," the precinct's medical examiner responded grimly. "I was going to call you, but then I got your message about Kevin waking and at the moment, he's more important. I'll head back to start the autopsy soon."

"I don't understand, why weren't we called down to the crime scene?" Castle asked.

Lanie answered, "It's because there was no crime scene. Kyle Harvick's body was delivered straight to the precinct, probably by whoever shot him."

Kate continued, "Which means that Harvick became a lose end to Davenport and whoever hired Kyle to steal the evidence from the locker."

"And that now it's going to be that much harder for us to find out who that is," Javier replied angrily. "Damn it! I thought I'd be happy to see Harvick dead, but a part of me was hoping I'd get the chance to do it myself."

"I know what you mean, but there are at least two more people responsible for what happened to Ryan and Tony," Castle responded coolly. "And I have no doubt that we'll find them so we can make them pay. Our record of catching the bad guys is quite impressive, if I do say so myself."

They all looked down at Ryan, who seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep again, so the detectives, writer, and medical examiner were all about to leave until Kevin suddenly reached out toward his partner and spoke weakly, "Don't leave just… just yet. Can I… we talk, alone?"

Jenny smiled and bent down to kiss her husband on his forehead as she gently rubbed her hand over his cheek, then looked back over at Esposito sternly as she said, "I'll be outside. You two take all the time you need, just please don't strain him, okay?"

"You have my word," Javier answered as everyone else left the room, followed shortly by his partner's wife, then the former Marine turned to look down at Kevin, but didn't say anything due to nerves.

"I wanted to… to thank you, Javi," Kevin spoke finally after he could no longer stand the silence that filled the room.

Esposito turned to look down at his partner with a confused look on his face as he replied, "I don't understand. Why are you thanking me? If anything, you should still be angry with me."

Ryan looked at his friend the best he could as Javier took a seat in the chair where he had been sitting more than anywhere else over the last several days, then he responded, "Because… you forgave me… and you saved… my life."

"It's because of me that you're in here," Javier answered bitterly. "You almost died, man! And now you're thanking me? It should be me thanking you. You took that bullet for me. It was you who saved my life. I only kept you from dying."

"I am so sorry, Kevin," Esposito continued after a long pause. "I never meant for my pride to cause this. If I had not allowed my anger toward you to put us both in a dangerous position… I don't know what I would have done if I lost you. I know that you did what you believed was right and it was the right thing to do. You are my brother, Kev. You always have been and you always will be. I never should have lost sight of that."

Kevin gave a small smile and then replied, "You're here now. And I heard… what you were saying while I… while I was still… unconscious. You've apologized… enough. I'll stick around to be… your pain in… the ass partner... until we retire."

Javier laughed out loud, then reached to take his partner's hand, and responded gently, "You better. Now, get some rest. You need to regain your strength and all of this talking can't be helping any. As I told you before, we will find them, everyone who's responsible for this mess, and we will make them pay. No one harms my brother and gets away with it."

Ryan slowly fell asleep once again, while Esposito remained at his bedside to watch over him. What he didn't realize was that Jenny was standing outside the room looking in at them through the window, as tears streamed down from her eyes. She smiled as she saw that the two of them were once again the partners that they were before the case that tried to tear them apart. Kevin still had a long road to recovery ahead of him, but she believed more now than she did yesterday that he'd survive.


	10. Chapter 10

On the Rocks

Chapter Ten

Three nights later…

Detective Rosalind Spencer was currently enjoying dinner at one of the city's pizza parlors with her young child and husband after she left work for the night. However, despite the brave face she put on for her family, inside the detective was struggling to come to terms with what she had done and nervous as she waited for Detectives Beckett and Esposito to come to arrest her for her roles in the death of one of their own and Detective Ryan's shooting. She knew it was only a matter of time.

However, what frightened her even more was the sudden phone call she received as she was watching her son play in the play space a few feet away as soon as her husband walked off to use the bathroom. She recognized the number and at first didn't plan to answer, but then decided to anyway, knowing that the person on the other end would most likely punish her for not doing so.

The caller spoke up first after she answered saying, "_Good evening, detective. It's certainly the perfect evening for dinner out with your family. Your son appears to be enjoying himself._"

Upon hearing the unfamiliar voice, Rosalind asked fearfully, "Who is this? You're not the same blackmailer as before."

"_No, you're right, I'm not,_" the man on the other end of the line responded. "_I'm afraid that my associate is no longer with us. This is why I'm calling instead. You've been very helpful to us so far, Detective Spencer, and we're very grateful, but I'm afraid we need your help one more time._"

"I'm done," she quickly replied. "I told your associate that I would help him break into the evidence locker, but I can't help you anymore. He killed a cop and then shot another detective, who happens to be well respected and admired around the precinct. There's nothing more I can do without them getting on to me."

The caller sighed, then continued, "_I'm afraid that you have no choice in the matter, detective. Unless you want that beautiful family of yours to have an accident and your secret revealed to your coworkers, you belong to me. Do you understand now?_"

Detective Spencer looked around worryingly, knowing whoever this man was, that he was somewhere nearby observing her and her family, then look back at her son as he continued to play, and answered sadly, "What is it that you need me to do?"

Meanwhile…

At the precinct, Detectives Beckett and Esposito, as well as Castle and Captain Gates, were all standing around their case board as they went over the details of their case with a fine tooth comb, hoping that something might come to light, especially now that Kyle Harvick was dead, currently lying down in the morgue.

"According to Lanie, Kyle Harvick was shot with a single round in his chest," Beckett spoke in frustration. "The ballistics of the fragment does not match up with any other murders in our databases and there were no fingerprints found, either on the fragment, or anywhere on his body."

"We know that Davenport's involved, but so far there's just no way to prove it," Castle continued. "He's brilliant and as far as we know, he has very loyal friends to do all the dirty work for him."

Gates thought a moment and then asked, "Does Davenport have any kind of relations; someone who cares about him enough to go to this length to help get him legally released from prison? If we were to catch this person and he or she refused to talk, then they would be going away themselves and Davenport would remain free."

Esposito looked at a case file in his hands as he responded, "According to this, Greg did have a brother once, but disappeared in order to get away from all the attention from the police and the media, as Greg had once been a suspect in a murder case from a long time ago. His name was Geoff Davenport. He was only sixteen then and everyone claimed he was a good kid; smart, confident, and according to this, a gentle soul. Geoff was immediately cleared as a suspect by the police, eventually followed by Greg."

"I want you to find this brother of his and bring him in for questioning," Captain Gates replied forcefully. "Just because he left Davenport high and dry, doesn't mean he hasn't returned to make things right between them. Find him, now."

"Yes Sir," Kate answered, then the captain walked away, leaving the three behind to continue their talk.

Beckett was about to continue when her phone began to buzz, indicating a text had come up, then after she quickly read it, she looked around the room in confusion, and finally back at Esposito and Castle as she stated, "We need to go."

Castle asked, "What's going on? Has something come up involving the case?"

"Detective Spencer needs us to meet her at an old meat packaging plant near the docks," Kate responded fearfully. "She says she saw a man kidnapping Ryan from the hospital at gunpoint, then followed them to the plant."

Javier rushed from the room as soon as he heard that his partner was in danger once again, followed closely by Beckett and Castle. It wasn't long before they arrived at their destination, but upon doing so, the detective they were there to meet up with was nowhere in sight.

"Something doesn't feel right," Rick stated nervously as they looked around for any sign of the woman, as well as any sign of trouble.

Beckett nodded and replied, "I know what you mean."

After getting off the phone with the hospital, Javier quickly walked over to them as he said, "One of the nurses confirmed it, Kevin was missing when she walked in to change his bandages and according to one of the orderlies, he claimed he saw a woman with blonde hair, wearing a badge on her belt, wheeling him toward one of the exits."

"Rosalind didn't witness Ryan's kidnapping," Kate spoke again. "She's the kidnapper."

"We can find out why she would betray us later," Esposito answered angrily as he pulled out his gun and started to turn toward the building, until Beckett put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "What are you doing? Kevin's in there and he's probably hurt, again."

Detective Beckett responded, "We can't just go in there guns blazing. We don't know what's waiting for us inside."

Castle looked at the determination and anger on Esposito's face and then replied, "Then, we'll move in slowly and cautiously, just like we always do."

A few minutes later, Detectives Beckett, Esposito, and Castle all walked up to the plant and when they saw that the way was clear, they made their way inside, the two detectives doing so with their guns ready and raised for any danger that might arise. The plant was dark, but there was light coming in through the windows from the lights shining in from outside, as well as from the moon, and as they made their way toward the center of the main room, that's when they saw Detective Rosalind Spencer's body laying still and cold on the ground.

"It's unfortunate that Rosalind here needed to die, but what's done is done," Greg Davenport spoke smugly as he stepped out from the shadows with his own gun in hand, pointed straight at the newcomers. "I'm not one to leave loose ends."

"Slowly put you gun down on the ground and then raise your hands above your head, Davenport; now!" Beckett said forcefully. "You're under arrest, again."

Davenport chuckled and then answered, "That's just not going to happen, Detective Beckett. Not when I have an ace up my sleeve."

It was then that the dim lights within the room clicked on and as soon as their eyes adjusted, they suddenly saw Kevin sitting in a wheelchair barely conscious with a bomb strapped to his chest, appearing to have been drugged and slightly hurt, most likely from getting into a struggle at the hospital with his kidnapper, as there was now a fresh gash on his forehead above his right eye. Another man stood beside him with a gun in hand, as well as what the detectives could clearly see was a dead man's switch in the other.

Javier quickly turned and aimed his gun on the man threatening his partner, while Kate kept hers trained on Davenport as she looked at his threat in confusion stating, "Reginald Norrington? You're working with Davenport? But why? I mean, you're a candidate for the next mayor."

"Yes, and I'll continue to be after this mess is over," he responded coldly. "As soon as you're all dead. I'm sorry it had to be this way, but I couldn't just let my brother rot in prison any longer."

"You're really Geoff Davenport," Castle quickly figured out as he looked between the two men threatening them. "After you disappeared, you changed your name and created an entire new identity in order to become exactly what you are now, except you couldn't fully let go of your past, bringing you here to this point."

Geoff's nerves began to become apparent as he replied, "It turns out that Greg isn't the only killer in the family."

Beckett spoke again saying, "You're right, but you're not as cold as him. It was Kyle Harvick that killed the detective inside our precinct's evidence locker and I'm guessing that it was your brother who killed Harvick and now Detective Spencer here. Is that true?"

"Mostly, except that I did kill her, just as I'm going to kill your friend here, and you, unless you all take the bribe I'm willing to offer you to drop this whole case and lose any evidence you've gathered," Geoff answered. "Detective Ryan won't last much longer in the condition he's in, so I suggest you make your decision right now, or so help me, my brother and I will walk out, then push this button to blow you all up while you stick behind to try to save him. Either way, my brother and I will remain free and clear."

"I don't believe you will go that far, Reggie," Esposito responded as he slowly lowered his gun, then began to walk toward the man living under the assumed name. "Despite the mistakes you're making tonight, I still believe there's some good in you somewhere. I planned on voting for you because I believed in what I thought you stood for. And a man, who could do all the good he's done for this community, can't be all bad."

Greg quickly cut in as he shouted, "Ignore him, Geoff! Just shoot him!"

Kevin finally managed to speak as he groggily cried, "Javi."

"It's all right, Kev, we're going to be just fine," Esposito replied smugly as Kate's focus shifted to her friends in concern. "Geoffrey here doesn't have the guts to kill us. Do you, Geoffrey?"

"Fine, I'll kill them!" Greg shouted as he suddenly aimed his gun on Beckett and fired, just as another shot sounded from the shadows in another area of the large open space, causing Davenport's bullet to fly wide and the murderer to fall to the floor dead, the second bullet striking him directly in the middle of his forehead.

Geoff screamed his brother's name as Esposito swiftly charged him and punched him square across his jaw, while grabbing the man's hand still holding the detonator tightly in order to keep him from releasing it. Castle rushed forward to help and together, he and Javier managed to fight the man until he became unconscious, and successfully took the button away from him, then disarmed it, making it so that the device was no longer a threat.

When the fight was over, the two men raced to Kevin's side to help him, while Kate looked toward the direction of the second shot. Suddenly, Captain Gates walked out from the shadows with her gun lowered down at her side as she stared at Beckett and smiled, then looked over toward Detective Ryan in concern.

Kate spoke up as she asked, "Sir, what are you doing here? I mean, how did you know to come here? We didn't tell anyone what was going on before coming here."

Gates looked down at Rosalind's body, then back over at her lead detective, and answered, "I received an email from Detective Spencer shortly after you three left the precinct. She confessed to everything and told me what was about to happen here, hoping to save you in time."

"Thank you, captain," Beckett responded sincerely, then the two of them walked over, and joined Esposito and Castle.

Six weeks later…

Kevin Ryan arrived back at work after finally being mostly healed from his injuries and was welcomed back by pretty much every detective and cop working within their precinct. Once he had gotten through all the attention, he slowly walked over to his friends, who were all smiles as Javier reached out and pulled his partner into a friendly hug, as did Kate, Lanie, and Rick. The team was all finally back together again and it made Captain Gates proud to be there as she watched the proceedings from her office.

"It is so good to have you back, bro," Esposito said as he handed Ryan a slice of cake, which Lanie had brought in with her for the welcome back party being thrown for him that day. "Not a lot has happened around here since we closed the case."

When Kevin remained silent as he stared over at the desk that once belonged to Detective Spencer, Castle realized what he wanted to know and so he spoke up saying, "It turns out, Rosalind had stolen money collected from a drug bust awhile back, money that never would have been missed, in order to help pay the bills as she was struggling financially after her husband lost his job, and Geoff Davenport found out about the theft after digging around to find a cop he could blackmail into helping him in his plot to free his brother. Then she got Tony killed and nearly you too. She didn't deserve to die, but she made a mistake when she agreed to help two murderers instead of going to someone for help."

Ryan nodded and then asked, "What about Reggie… Geoff Davenport? I take it that he's going to be going away; that his money and influence won't be able to help him escape any of the charges against him?"

"He'll be going away for the rest of his life, just as his brother should have been," Kate replied, then took another bite of her cake.

"If you ask me, that scumbag deserves it and more," Lanie stated. "But enough about all this work talk. How are you feeling today, Kevin; I mean really feel? You appeared to be fully healed, but after everything you've been through the last few weeks…"

Knowing that she was really referring to how he was feeling emotionally, Kevin softly answered, "All things considering, I'm doing pretty good. Javi and I are finally back to being partners, the way we were before… well, you know. That's what's most important. Everything else I can handle."

Javier placed his hand gently on Ryan's stronger shoulder as he responded, "You don't have to handle it all alone. Not only do you have Jenny to lean on, but you also have us."

"Of course he'll have us," Castle replied. "Now, this party feels a little more like a funeral. I suggest we lighten it up a little. Do you think Captain Gates might let us turn on some music in here?"

"We may be celebrating Kevin's return, but it's also still another work day, Castle," Kate answered. "We should probably get back to doing some work. There's at the very least a ton of paperwork that needs to be done."

Kevin turned to his partner as he held out his and said, "Rocks, paper, scissors; the loser has to do it all and the winner gets to sit back and watch."

Javier smiled and agreed, "You're on."

The End


	11. Thank You

Thank you to all of those who have read and have written reviews for my stories! They are much appreciated. I'm honored to have you all for fans and I hope to hear from you all again in the future, should you choose to read and enjoy more of my work. Best of wishes to you all!

Sincerely,

Genevieve Kelly


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